This blog is in chill-mode, but you'll still find archived posts and book updates/events.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Exhale is On!

Greetings, Literature Buffs!

The December-January issue of Exhale has been launched - my best coffee-fueled achievement of the morning, second only to watering the perpetually dying palm plant in the living room. Go on over and check it out! Here are just a few of the highlights:

Monica Crumback crank out babies, but wrestles with what to say when her best friend can't. How cool to hear that perspective, for once!

Shawna Strohm fears imminent divorce when she catches her husband "wacking off" in the shower a mere twenty hours before a sperm-analysis appointment. Busted!Pamela Jeanne has "decided" to go child free, but only after years and years of unsuccessful infertility treatments (if you could call it a "choice" in the first place).

Cindy "Murgdan" C. is sick and tired of those week-by-week descriptions and pictures of what's happening to a developing fetus, so she's fighting back with her own version: the same type of deal, but for infertility. Imagine that.

Sharon van Wyke writes about her experiences with Left Behind Syndrome - the sensation of being the lone infertile tree left rooted in the ground while gusting winds of pregnant women blow past you. Can't you just totally picture all these pregnant women cartwheeling through the air?

ok...rebecca - didn't i tell you to go sit on the couch and close your computer? i just got done reading it and was going to post a "cover-to-cover" comment. damn you for beating me to it.

beautiful work from everyone. thank you to monica for acting as editor. i'm looking forward to reading future editions and am grateful for those that are willing to show a window into their lives and pain.

Well done, Monica and all the contributors. I enjoyed reading every article. Thank you!

Side note: "pregnant women cartwheeling through the air" makes me picture the begining of Mary Poppins when all the other nannies get blown away on the wind, and only Andrew (the dog in his sweater) is left standing on the door step.

Wow. I too was going to leave a "cove to cover" comment but see I've been beaten to the punch. What I get for sleeping in far too late. This is a great collection of work - some columnists I know well, others I was happy to discover. Nicely done.

Exhale - perfect description of the "hold your breath til you find the holy grail of a baby" I am so happy to have found women who get that the journey of infertility is important too, not just the resolution. Yeah!!!

good reads: kukd and ttc

Other Cool Books

Find new books and literate friends with Shelfari, the online book club.

Writing and Art Resources for Healing

ExhaleSubmit your writing. A bitchin' online literary magazine for and by KuKd/IF mommas and daddios.

Still Life 365Submit your art. Daily artwork for, about and KuKd mommas and daddios. It's creator is a babylost momma too, so you can trust this gal.

The Secret Club ProjectSubmit your art. This award-winning international project features artists exploring infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth.

Writing it RealGet started writing. Author and grief-writing expert Sheila Bender understands losing a child, and provides resources on writing from personal experience.

Broadsided PressSubmit your words. Seeking your 30-line poems and 300-word prose to be made into public street art.

Creative TherapyMake art to heal. Create and publicize art, scrapbooking, photography, or whatever your creative outlet is as a form of self-therapy.

Good GriefGet crafty to heal. "A scrapbookers journey through loss and healing." Another chance to create your own public healing art.The Writer's BlockGet writing tips. Author Midge Raymond's practical advice on living the writer's life.